Mikey Martin Race Report: Sacramento Mile

Hey everyone,
Here is my race report from the famous Sacramento Mile, in California. I guess I can call this my home track even though I have never ridden the track before. I only live 35 miles south of the facility.

This week we all had to make the trip out west right after round 12 at I-96 in Lake Odessa, Michigan. Most of the riders planed on riding the quarter mile track at Lodi, California on Friday the night before Sacramento Mile for the chance to make some extra travel money thanks to Digger Helm and the Lodi Motorcycle Club.

The Digger Helm event was an open class and combined the Experts and Pros together. I was excited to see how I could measure up to the experts at my home track. I qualified fourth via transponders and won my heat race with the fastest heat putting me on the pole for the main event.

I had fourth pick for the Dash For Cash and was the first one into turn one, I led for five of the six laps but left the door open and the freight train came through I ended up fourth.

The main event was next and I was ready. The light went green and I was third into the first corner behind Jared Mees and Jethro Halbert. About lap two I was able to get under Jethro and had my sights on Jared for a full eighteen laps I worked him every way I knew and could not find the opportunity to make a clean pass. I was very excited to take the podium on the second step with Jared and Jethro.

We did not have any time for celebrating; we loaded up and had to be at Sacramento early the next morning.

Saturday morning I met with the team and tried to figure out a gear that we would try for the free practice. We ended up getting close but made a change before the first qualifying session. Once again we were close I had second fastest time but I knew we could get closer, so we made another change. I had also decided to fall back in my second qualifying session so I had a drafting partner. That worked and I ended up with the fastest qualifying time. I had great success with my heat race with a win there also.

At this point I was excited for the possibility of a clean sweep (fast time qualifier, fastest heat race winner and main event winner) for the second national in a row.

We decided to make one final change before the main event. We all felt like it was the correct choice until a headwind started blowing down the front straightaway. We had no time to make the gearing change because it was time to line up for the main event.

I was on the pole and was ready. When the light went green was second or third into the first corner, but I made my way to the front before the front straightaway. The first seven laps of the race me and Mikey Avila and Shayna Texter drafted each other for the lead more times than I can remember.

About seven laps there was a red flag because Jess Garcia had fallen. With five laps left after the restart I knew that I had to get a great start. When the light went green we all dropped the clutch and I found myself in about fourth, at times we all could have held hands.

This was where the real battle began because Briar Bauman wanted in on some of the fun. I think we all led at one point or another. I had found myself in fourth place after a mistake going into turn two. With the three wide draft I got back in line and positioned myself on the white flag lap to make a pass at the line ahead of Avila for a margin of victory of 0.026. The AMA says that I broke a record of three consecutive wins, and another Clean Sweep!

The next round of the AMA Pro Singles Grand National Championship is round 13 at Castle Rock Race Park, in Washington. Stop by the pits and say hi.